In 1998, a new Zorro movie, The Mask of Zorro, was released staring Antonio Banderas and Catherine Zeta-Jones, an actress that was mostly unknown in the United States. I saw the movie in the theater and now own the DVD since I really enjoyed the movie. I thought it was a fun adventure type of movie. I had read years ago that a sequel was going to be made, but the project seemed to get delayed. The movie, The Legend of Zorro, was just released.
I do feel like the trailer and previews gave away just a little too much related to the plot of The Legend of Zorro. Unfortunately that seems to be normal now. I will not be mentioning a few details about the plot that were included in some previews because I think they are spoilers.
Alejandro had been Zorro for 10 years. California was on the verge of joining the union, something he and his wife Elena wanted to see happen. There were people that didn’t want to see that happen. Alejandro, as Zorro, was frequently called on to help the people. That caused him to miss out on several things related to Joaquin, his and Elena’s son. Alejandro had told Elena that he would stop being Zorro, but he felt like the time wasn’t right just yet, which caused trouble in their marriage. Their relationship was further strained by the actions of two men that were always around along with the arrival of Armand, a man that Elena knew when she lived in Spain.
The Mask of Zorro was an adventure movie that I thought was fun, though not really something for young children. There wasn’t anything really offensive in that movie, though there was some violence and a few sexually suggestive things. Those aspects were tamed way down for The Legend of Zorro, making it a more family friendly movie. I did still think the new movie was fun and entertaining. I’m just not sure it was the best idea to tone things down as much as they did. There were still a lot of sword fights in the movie. No one was hurt that badly and no blood was shown, which isn’t that realistic in the situation. Even with all the sword fights, there wasn’t that much violence. Some characters were injured or even killed. Those events were hinted at and shown off camera. The sword fights were very well done and looked impressive. Alejandro was involved in most of the sword fights. Elena had a few fights of her own, including one where she took on two men with a shovel. The action scenes did keep the movie interesting.
Something else that was done to make the movie more family friendly was to add several silly things just for laughs. There were a few things in The Mask of Zorro that made me laugh. The things in The Legend of Zorro were much more blatant and silly and really served to dumb the movie down. Most of the humor was added through the behavior of Alejandro’s horse. Not only would he not budge at times, he also drank, took off without Alejandro, and even smoked a pipe. The horse was a bit stubborn in the first movie, which added some humor without getting too silly. For the new movie, the horse’s antics went just a bit too far and got ridiculous. At one point late in the movie, there was even a shot - doctored with special effects I’m sure - that showed the horse’s eyes getting wider because of a potentially dangerous situation. Other funny moments were added through the actions of Joaquin. He actually got into a fight with his teacher using a stick or something and managed to beat him. The teacher wasn’t nice at all, though it seemed that Joaquin wasn’t punished at all for what happened. He was a lot like his father with how he would just jump into dangerous situations.
Alejandro and Elena were still passionate with each other when the movie began. They weren’t shown during any kind of love scene, but they did exchange some kisses that were very passionate, especially for a movie rated PG. There weren’t actual love scenes in The Mask of Zorro, but there were some sexually suggestive things in some scenes. Those elements were mostly missing from The Legend of Zorro. There wasn’t nudity in either movie, though Elena did show some skin in the first movie briefly. Nothing like that happened in the new movie so people that get offended or upset by that sort of thing in movies don’t need to worry. Parents may be concerned by the kissing since it was passionate, but that was as far as it went.
Alejandro and Elena were important characters in The Legend of Zorro like they were in the first movie. More of the movie was focused on their relationship, though they ended up having very few scenes togther. That was disappointing because they did have good chemistry together. Alejandro’s work as Zorro kept him away from his family often even though he did love them. He was conflicted because he felt like the people of California needed him as well. Antonio Banderas was fine in the part. Elena was a very strong woman that did care about the people of California. She did want Alejandro to stop being Zorro though. She was acting a bit strange at times. Her behavior did make sense once something was explained. Elena did seem to have more to do in this movie. I did like Catherine Zeta-Jones in the part.
Joaquin was a mischievous boy that idolized Zorro without knowing he was his father. Joaquin was very impulsive and didn’t always think before he acted. He had already developed some skills that were very much like some his father had. Joaquin had a slingshot with him all the time. He wasn’t irritating like some child characters can be. Adrian Alonso was fine in the part. Armand was a French count that had known Elena in Spain. He still had feelings for her. Rufus Sewell fit the part well. Jacob McGivens was a very nasty man that was trying to prevent California from joining the union. Nick Chinlund was good in the part.
CAST
Adrian Alonso - Joaquin
Antonio Banderas - Alejandro/Zorro
Nick Chinlund - Jacob McGivens
Rufus Swell - Armand
Catherine Zeta-Jones - Elena
I did enjoy The Legend of Zorro even though I felt like it had a few problems. It was a fun, entertaining, adventure movie that could be good for families. People that enjoyed The Mask of Zorro may like this one as long as their expectations aren’t too high. I don’t think the movie should have been turned into a family movie, but it was entertaining. This is a movie that I would give three and a half stars too if I could. Since I can't, I'm rounding up to four. Fans of Antonio Banderas or Catherine Zeta-Jones will probably enjoy the movie.
Having spent the last ten years fighting injustice and cruelty, Alejandro de la Vega (Banderas) is now facing his greatest challenge: his loving wife ...More at HotMovieSale.com
Having spent the last ten years fighting injustice and cruelty, Alejandro de la Vega is now facing his greatest challenge - his loving wife Elena has ...More at Buy.com Marketplaces
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